The Danger of Skin-Tight Attire to the Nerves

Skinny Jeans, cinch belts, shoes with heels higher than two inches and tight push-up bras that cut across the breast ... These are fashion trends everywhere in the society as people wear them to work, schools and other outings. A recent article on Wall Street Journal published in May 2012 says it is not uncommon for people to sacrifice comfort for fashion. But wearing tight clothing may also be putting one's health at risk especially with nerve complications.

Monique B is a fan of skinny jeans. But the one thing Monique doesn't love is the difficulty encountered in putting them on because one has to struggle to pull them up. Doctors say people, particularly, youths have to be careful and really weigh the price of looking good against sustaining good health because when clothing becomes too tight, they can cause nerve damage, yeast infections in women and a rare condition called lipoatrophia semicircularis, in which horizontal lesions appear around the thighs.

Medical personnel say the disorder caused by tight attires such as skinny jeans is called meralgia paresthetica. This occurs when one of the nerves that run in the outer part of the thigh gets compressed. The pressure on it causes symptoms of tingling, numbness and pain in the outer part of the thigh. Squeezing into matchstick jeans with cheese-stick legs cannot only cause nerve compression, it can interfere with digestion, as the Archives of Internal Medicine in the US noted in 1993, especially when the person is just from eating. To alleviate the pain, doctors suggest people wear skinny jeans that have some stretch in them because such pains could lead to permanent nerves damage.

Body slimmers and waist-cinching belts can also be a serious health hazard. If worn too tightly. Experts say too tight body shapers can prevent the lungs from fully inflating, reducing oxygen intake, which can lead to lightheadedness, stomachaches and nerves problems. Tight shirt collars and neckties can reduce circulation to the brain and increase intraocular pressure, a risk factor for glaucoma, experts warn. The Wall Street Journal also noted that tight ties can also decrease the range of motion around the neck and increase muscle tension in the back and shoulders.

Shoes with heels higher than two inches also cause health dangers such as bunions, hammer toes, stress fractures and ankle sprains. Other ailments include "pump bumps" (bony protrusions on the back of heels), Morton's neuroma (an injury to the nerve between the toes) and Freiberg infraction (in which some foot bones die due to lack of circulation.) Scientists say when people wear high heels, the axis of their pelvis changes and are tilted, the buttocks kind of kick out a little bit and the legs are longer-looking. Because the pelvis is tilted, it further accentuates pressure that is caused on the nerves.